title: The method of constant stimuli is inefficient.
abstract: Simpson (1988) has argued that the method of constant stimuli is as efficient as adaptive methods of threshold estimation, and has supported this claim with simulations. We show that Simpson's simulations are not a reasonable model of the experimental process, and that more plausible simulations confirm that adaptive methods are much more efficient than the method of constant stimuli.
authors.affiliation: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California.
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fitzhugh
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D006801:Humans; D010465:Perception; D011337:Probability Learning; D011594:Psychometrics; D011601:Psychophysics; D012684:Sensory Thresholds